This invention relates generally to a dispenser used with a weed inhibiting ground cover that is mounted in a subterranean environment adjacent the roots of plants, trees, or shrubs to provide for subterranean watering and fertilizing of the plant's roots. Specifically, the invention is to be utilized with a ground cover that is to prevent weeds or undesirable plant growth for landscaping purposes around the trees, plants, or shrubs.
Plastic ground covers are widely used in landscaping. One problem with using plastic ground covers around shrubs to prevent weed growth in certain areas is that it greatly diminishes water and nutrient food supplies to those plants that are surrounded by the ground covers. Thus a ground cover not only prevents weed growth, but also prevents water and fertilizer from reaching the roots of the protected plants. It is, however, advantageous to use ground covers in that they definitely inhibit weeds from growing around certain plants in a landscaping scheme, greatly reducing periodic labor in clearing unsightly weeds and crab grass. Other landscaping covering devices, such as wooden chips, rocks, or wood coverings, also are utilized for aesthetic purposes to inhibit undesirable plant growth, such as weeds, around certain specific plants that are placed for the landscaping purpose. Again, these landscaping objects can interfere or impede the proper development of the landscaping plant they surround because of depriving the plant, tree, or bush, of water or nutrients.
Devices have been provided in the prior art going all the way back to January, 1860 in U.S. Pat. No. 73,442, issued to J. C. Fish which shows a tree-feeding tube. U.S. Pat. No. 349,874 issued to Buhrer, patented in September, 1886, shows root fertilizers. Devices such as these are not suitable for use in landscaping techniques because they present an unsightly protrusion above the ground. Further, they do not impede weed growth around the insert tube shaft.
The present invention overcomes the problems of the prior art by providing a unitarily-molded dispenser that can be readily used in conjunction with other landscaping devices such that the dispenser does not detract from the aesthetic appearance, that permits the flow of water to the plant roots at all times, provides for time released fertilizing while inhibiting weed growth.